This paper presents a discrete sliding mode control (DSMC) scheme for a series-series compensated wireless power transfer (WPT) system to achieve fast maximum energy efficiency (MEE) tracking and output voltage regulation. The power transmitter of the adopted WPT system comprises a dc/ac converter, which incorporates the hill-climbing-search-based phase angle control in achieving minimum input current injection from its dc source, thereby attaining minimum input power operation. The power receiver comprises a buck-boost converter that emulates an optimal load value, following the MEE point determined by the DSMC scheme. With this WPT system, no direct communication means is required between the transmitter and the receiver. Therefore, the implementation cost of this system is potentially lower and annoying communication delays, which deteriorate control performance, are absent. Both the simulation and experiment results show that this WPT system displays better dynamic regulation of the output voltage during MEE tracking when it is controlled by DSMC, as compared to that controlled by the conventional discrete proportional-integral (PI) control. Such an improvement prevents the load from sustaining undesirable overshoot/undershoot during transient states.